To: Board of Supervisors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: GMR/REACH Air Medical Service
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing board of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief to execute a non-financial contract with Global Medical Response (GMR) and REACH Air Medical Service to provide direct dispatching for air ambulance resources, receive logistical air support when requested, provide co-branded aviation resources within the county, and provide the ability to recoup the Fire District costs associated with the partnership.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this contract would allow CCCFPD to recoup the costs of dispatching and managing the information technology systems used to dispatch the REACH aircraft at Buchanan Field. GMR/REACH would be invoiced $2,500 per month. This agreement does not require the Fire District to make a financial commitment to GMR/REACH.
BACKGROUND:
This is a renewal of a previous agreement under revised terms. The Fire District and REACH/GMR have been parties to a use agreement since 2018. An initial public-private partnership was established to deliver aerial firefighting and rescue capabilities within the CCCFPD jurisdiction, utilizing a cobranded REACH/CCCFPD Helicopter. Ultimately, fire suppression and rescue programs did not materialize as first planned, and those services were discontinued. A portion of that initial agreement involved direct dispatching of the REACH air ambulances by the District’s Regional Fire Communications Center, which improved response times for the air ambulance to medical or trauma calls. This new agreement eliminates the fire and rescue components of the original agreement but keeps the branding, dispatching, and working relationships that were successful in the initial agreement. There is no timeframe associated with this contract, as it is open-ended until terminated by either party.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without this contract, the district would discontinue the aviation aspect of our public-private partnership with REACH/GMR. This would end our close relations with the local air ambulance provider, including direct requests for service to the residents of Contra Costa County. The air ambulance service would remain available; however, longer response and reaction times can be anticipated. The contracted relationship between CCCFPD and GMR/REACH ensures consistent local air resources, with greater CCCFPD input and control.